Most junior DIG gets acting charge of Sindh prisons dept

KARACHI: A newly promoted DIG has been appointed acting IG of the Sindh Sindh Prisons and Corrections Service Department superseding four senior-most DIGs of grades 20 and 21 of the same department.

Hassan Sahto was promoted to DIG in BPS 20 on September 27, 2023 (Wednesday) and on the same day, he was appointed Inspector General of the Sindh Prisons. The outgoing DIG Anwar Mustafa who held the position of IG Prions handed over the charge to Hassan Sahto on his retirement.

Earlier on September 26, 2023, the Sindh Home Department through a summary by Home Minister Brigadier (retd) Haris Nawaz recommended to the Chief Minister to appoint IG Prisons from among the four senior officers of the department including Qazi Nazeer Ahmad a grade 21 officer and three DIGs of BPS 20 Nasir Khan, Munawar Khan and Sheeba Shah. However, Sahto has been appointed as the top officer of the prison department.

When the issue of junior most DIG’s appointment was taken up with Abdul Rasheed Channa, spokesman of the caretaker Sindh Chief Minister, he told The News that the posting of IG Prison will be decided purely on merit as CM Sindh strictly follows merit, rules, and laws. No one would be preferred against the merit in this key posting and the matter would be decided soon.

This reporter approached Home Minister Sindh Brig (retd) Haris Nawaz and Chief Secretary Sindh Muhammad Fakhre Alam and acting IG Prions Department Hassan Sahto for their versions on the issue, called at their cell numbers and then sent detailed messages at their WhatsApp numbers, but till the filling of this news story, none of them responded.